Why The 30-Year Fixed Loan Isn’t The Obvious Mortgage Choice Anymore
The 30-year fixed rate mortgage isn't such the no-brainer anymore. After thoroughly thumping the interest rates on an equivalent 5-year ARM since December, the 30-year fixed has reclaimed its honor as "Most Expensive Mortgage Product". The chart shows the difference as a half-percent, but real-life pricing puts it closer to 1.000%. Right now, adjustable rate mortgages are very attractive to the right type of homeowner

FHA Suspends Taylor, Bean & Whitaker
I feel like I’m one of the few mortgage originators who have never worked with mortgage giant TBW…many mortgage brokers and lenders do.   FHA’s Press release states ...

Timing Your Mortgage Rate Lock To Get A Better Mortgage Rate
What's the difference between a good mortgage rate and a great mortgage rate? Timing.

Your Mortgage Rate Quote Will Expire In 3 Hours, 39 Minutes — Lock It Or Lose It
For the second consecutive month, mortgage lenders issued 100-plus rate sheets in a 60 day period. That's 2.36 rate sheets per day, or roughly 0.64 less than the Magic Number. It's a ridiculously high number in the context of mortgage market history.

Mortgage Market Update
Well, as promised, I am writing this Sunday, granted late at night but I am just getting started for a long flight to Brasil, and it is time to get started looking into what lies ahead for this week in the mortgage markets...

Banks Have All The Money - Money Is The Root Of All Evil - Therefore Banks Are Evil
Another “Don’t Ya Just Love Working For Free” Story In the minefield of residential real estate lies the ubiquitous short sale. Fundamentally, all  short sales have a commonality - the market value of the property does not exceed the disposition costs plus mortgage liens and other encumbrances. A short sale requires a successful negotiation with the lien holders - and the operative word here, boys and girls, is successful.

What Lessons Have We Learned From Past Hard Times?
Most of us can remember a time, sometimes even a specific moment when our spirit was so beat up it seemingly had to look up to see down. I’ve had those times. They come and go for all of us, and come in so many different forms. It can be financial, health, family, or a combination of all the above. Although in my head I’m still roughly 22, and even though I’m healthy as a horse, very fit, blah blah blah, I can remember bad times like they were last week.

Are High Home Appraisal Costs Getting You Down? Check Out This Fox Video
Check it out if you're at all interested in why your home appraisal is costing so much more these days!

Are Mortgage Rates Going Up Or Down? (July 30, 2009 Edition)
Are mortgage rates going up? Are mortgage rates going down? I am a regular participant in the Bankrate.com Mortgage Rate Trend survey and this week's survey may point you in the right direction.

Is ActiveRain Selling Loan Officers An Exclusive Opportunity, Or Just Selling Their Real Estate Agents Out?
I’ve received a few emails and calls from my loan officers this week about some new exclusive opportunity that Activerain.com is pitching to the mortgage industry. Apparently, Active Rain is cold calling mortgage professionals who have an AR blogging history and offering them an “extremely rare opportunity” to pay $299 / month for the privilege of being able to re-sell upgraded AR products to real estate agents.

An Outsider’s Appraisal of the New HVCC Rules
Again, keep an eye out on what Brian Davis, author of this post, is saying about Home Appraisals and the HVCC.  Click above to read...

In Real Estate, You Can’t Benefit From A Buyer’s Market Unless You Decide To Buy
Based on the last several months of real estate data, it appears as if home buyers are about to lose their upper-hand. When they do, buying a home won't be nearly the "deal" it may feel like today -- especially once mortgage rates head back up and after the $8,000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit expires December 1. They say this is a Buyer's Market. It's only a buyer's market if you actually buy.

Mortgage Blogging: What’s In It for Me?
Most mortgage professionals are skeptical about Mortgage Blogging.  To most, it looks like a waste of time.  If you’re in this camp, don’t feel bad. I was too for 2 1/2 years. In the video below, Mark Madsen and I set out to explain the benefits of Mortgage Blogging.  This event is the first of many online classes being brought to you free of charge by NAMB.